Verticopter® Now Elytair

Dean Sigler Diesel Powerplants, Electric Powerplants, Sustainable Aviation Leave a Comment

Oliver Garrow has been working with a convertiplane design concept since 2007, and has flown over 100 “sorties” with large scale models to test the concept and demonstrate flight characteristics. Reported here in 2010, the aircraft initially looked a bit like an annular-wing configuration with pivoting engines or electric motors for lift and propulsion.  Now, in its most current version, it looks a bit more like a box wing design with pivoting propulsion.  Oliver’s company has changed its name from Verticopter to Elytair.  As explained in company literature, “Elytair, named with the goal to offer Elite personnel Air transportation solutions, will be offered as a design platform through selective licensing agreements, for either manned or unmanned applications.” As with the Verticopter, the Elytair can land and take off in every conceivable mode; conventional take-offs and landings (CTOL), vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) and short take-offs and vertical landings (STOVL).  As with helicopters, Elytair can hover, but because it can pivot …